A series of essays....
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| ARTIST DON SAWYER: THE PURPLE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM |
....as seen through my eyes!
By: Jacqueline E Hughes
I’ve always been drawn to primary colors; the brighter the better. So, when we entered the rental condo of our friends last week, our attention was drawn to the bright, cheery, and verging on kitschy artwork that dominated the walls in each room. And, this set the visual pace for our week on Okaloosa Island, Florida, located just west of Destin along the Emerald Coast.
Really, who doesn’t love a purple elephant? Who wouldn’t be fascinated by a three-story houseboat bobbing on the blue Gulf waters, or listen to a brightly colored fish telling island stories? And, in keeping it all real, who wouldn’t be a little concerned by their circumstances in the aftermath of a Gulf of Mexico hurricane? I began to feel that this was the proper way to set the theme for a true island vacation. And that’s exactly what the four of us set out to do!
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| COLLECTED WORKS OF DON SAWYER |
Beginning with the island of Aruba for our honeymoon many years ago, Dan and I began our marriage subconsciously seeking out a variety of islands to stay on and visit. There’s something truly daring and wonderful about knowing you’re surrounded by the sea or lake with foamy waves crashing onto the sandy (rocky) shoreline.
Aruba
Mackinac Island
Sanibel Island
Captiva
United Kingdom
Ireland
Aran Islands
Saint Martin...
...just to name a few.
So, it was only fitting that our visit to Okaloosa Island began with the four of us walking the ‘snow white’ sandy beach for several hours. We were lined with crashing turquoise waves rimmed with a white, salt spray on our left and buildings so perfectly conforming to a six-story building code limit to our right that, while standing at the end of the Okaloosa Fishing Pier several days later, the buildings looked as if a pastry chef had evened their tops with a cake Icing smoother as she worked her food sculpting magic.
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| VIEW FROM THE OKALOOSA FISHING PIER SHOWING THE FLAT TOPPED ROOFS OF CONDO BUILDINGS |
All I can remember right now is how wonderful the soft sand felt between the toes and what fun it was to dance with the water as it roiled in onto the shoreline while Elaine and I talked and talked trying to catch-up with and make sense out of life these days. Even though we had lost sight of the one green and one gray shirts worn by our husbands striding in front of us, we surmised they must be doing the same thing.
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| DANCING WITH THE WATER ROILING INTO THE SHORELINE |
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| OUR HOSTS: ELAINE & MIKE |
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| DAN & ME |
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| ELAINE IN PROFILE |
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| DAN IN PROFILE |
The Florida Panhandle cities of Mexico Beach and Port St. Joe suffered the worst of Hurricane Michael back on October 10, 2018. With catastrophic damage reported due to the extreme winds and storm surge and with multiple deaths, numerous homes were flattened and trees felled over a wide swath of the panhandle. Lives had been changed forever! This includes the lives of our friends and hosts, Mike and Elaine. They had fallen in love with and vacationed on Cape San Blas during the winter/spring of 2018. Mexico Beach and Port St. Joe had become like second homes to them contributing retail outlets and restaurants not offered on Cape San Blas.
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| PICTURE OF THE DEVASTATION ALONG MEXICO BEACH |
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| SAD BUT A COMMON SIGHT TODAY |
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| DESTROYED HOME FOR SALE; NEW HOME ADDING LIFE TO A DEVASTATED AREA. |
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| TREES SNAPPED LIKE TWIGS ALL ALONG THE COASTLINE |
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| BRICKS SUCKED OFF OF THE FACADE OF A LOCAL CHURCH |
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| BUILDING ONCE OCCUPIED BY HAPPY VACATIONERS |
Because Mike and Elaine had visited the devastation of these beautiful places earlier on, Dan and I made a day trip there ourselves to document the resilience and passion offered by the residents choosing to, literally, pick-up the pieces and begin life there once again. What we saw, even sixteen months after the storm, was a mixture of deep sadness and emerging hope symbolized by the bright and colorful ‘new builds’ seemingly springing up from the soft sands along the beach. It was an amazing sight to see!
Who doesn’t love a purple elephant....especially when that elephant represents the colorfully proud strength of the people who understand that devastation can be endured because the passionate heart is stronger than any storm....in the long run.
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| SUNSET WHILE CROSSING OVER THE DESTIN BRIDGE ON OUR WAY HOME |
Somewhere between the beach walks and warm conversations, we visited Pensacola to find the best fresh ‘fruits de mer‘ and were told that Joe Patti’s Seafood was the perfect place to find it! Our friends had been purchasing Joe Patti’s fresh catches since they arrived here several weeks before and wanted to share the experience with us. Since 1931, Joe Patti has been selling seafood wholesale to the public and making a name for himself and his family.
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| INSIDE JOE PATTI'S |
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| CHOOSING OUR LIVE LOBSTERS |
After selecting four of the plumpest, feistiest live lobsters and having them steamed and cracked, we brought our treasures back home. Mike prepared them for us the next evening and we enjoyed the best lobster fest we’ve had in years! What an unbelievable treat.
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| MIKE PREPARING OUR FEAST |
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| WICKED GOOD LOBSTER FEST |
Palm trees, geckos, and Publix grocery stores were top priorities on my list to see and visit when returning to Florida after all of these months. Alligators, however, not so much. With the azure blue Gulf waters as a backdrop, the agile palm tree sways in the winter sunlight as stealthy geckos of various lengths scramble around the lush vegetation looking for their meal of small insects. I miss their darting around and remember our sweet dog, Brûlée, giving chase and rendering the poor gecko tailless more often than not.
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| CRAZY KIDS |
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| SNOW WHITE BEACHES |
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| PALM TREES ALONG THE GULF WATERS |
Publix stores, in my opinion, should be the master blueprint for all grocery store chains throughout the country. Yes, they are that amazing, offering superb management, opportunities of advancement for their employees, cleanliness, a wide variety of goods, and an abundance of stores at your fingertips. I used to call them the Walgreens of grocery stores while living in Florida because you could, almost, find one on every major street corner. Walking into one just down the block from the condo was like a breath of fresh air. I thought about bringing back the free cookie from their bakery to my Floridian grands, Brenna and Gavin, a treat they enjoyed with each visit to Publix while living in the Orlando area.
Staying along the Emerald Coast of Florida’s panhandle, we were able to observe the unique jewel toned shades of the Gulf of Mexico that stretches as far as the eye can see. Traffic can be a bit frustrating considering the over 4.5 million people who visit there each year with the city of Destin being the most popular destination.
Curiously, each time I re-entered the condo unit my eyes were drawn to the purple elephant in the room. With the name ‘Sawyer’ emblazoned in the right-hand corner, it was simple enough to research this local artist and understand his genuine appeal and the reason for his work being prominently displayed by the owners of this particular condo unit.
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| DON SAWYER AT WORK ON ONE OF HIS COLORFUL 'BEACH ART' PIECES |
Don Sawyer is known for his aptly named 'beach art,' as well as for the Sawyer Art Gallery where he teaches ‘a fun but serious approach to creating artwork’ in Destin. There’s a genuine happiness and creative energy infused within his artwork. His style is injected with pure color making his vibrant artwork popular with locals and tourists alike.
The purple elephant in the room caught my attention; made me a believer of how fun and colorful artwork can imprint the soul with the joy of life and offer innumerable possibilities of happiness and creative energy. Just like the people of Mexico Beach, Port St. Joe, and Cape San Blas, they must decide if they will pull-up stakes and move on elsewhere or be a part of the hardy individuals who will contribute to the growth and rebirth of the coastline and land they love so much.
Dan and I thank you, Mike and Elaine, for an exciting yet thoroughly relaxing week together and for introducing us to the colorful works of Don Sawyer. After all, who doesn’t love a purple elephant?
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| FOUR HAPPY FACES |
Copyright © 2020 by Jacqueline E Hughes
All rights reserved
Photo Copyright © 2020 by Jacqueline E Hughes
All rights reserved
